Zhou Shihao, 17, from Shanghai Yichuan High School, was shocked by the statistics he had found.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}he was looking into the use of handheld cellphones by drivers, he found that more than 30% of them reached for their phones on the road.

    "Any use of handheld devices(设备) should{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(firm)be forbidden while driving," said Zhou. "It's not a daily chore, but a serious social issue."

    The teenager's concerns led to his drafting a proposal on this issue – something {#blank#}3{#/blank#}he did together with five other schoolmates in the Mock Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference competition in the Putuo District of Shanghai.

    Zhou and his schoolmates were not alone. In January, many Shanghai youngsters, even elementary school students, took part in Mock CPPCC competitions {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(hold) in their local districts and handed in proposals on issues ranging from network security and the future city to the protection of{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(tradition) culture.

    "The competition really encourages us students to focus on social issues and play an active role{#blank#}6{#/blank#}taking responsibility for our country," said Zhang Simin, 17, from Shanghai Nanyang High School.

    The senior student used to think that the handling of state affairs was just for politicians. But thinking on the "3:30 problem" changed her mind.

    Kids usually finish school at 3:30. However, most parents work until 6:00,{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (make) it hard for them to pick kids up. "This is a problem we've all been through," said Zhang.

    To help students, Zhang's school{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(invite) deputies (代表) to the National People's Congress to give students instruction.

    "Thanks to the deputies, we finally understand it's not who is to blame that{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(matter), but finding the best solution," said Zhang.

    "The competition aims to encourage a sense of citizenship among China's post-00s generation," said Xia Jing, a teacher from Shanghai Jinyuan Senior High School. "Through this channel, students can let their{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(voice) be heard."

    While not everyone will have pondered (思索) the subject while staring out of the window during {#blank#}1{#/blank#} flight, the question as to why aeroplanes have circular windows rather than square ones is interesting.

    Over the years, aerospace engineering {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) huge leaps in aeroplane technology, meaning planes can carry {#blank#}3{#/blank#} passengers and go faster. The planes have also changed shape to increase safety — including the windows.

    In the 1950s, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} jetliners were starting to become mainstream, the De Havilland Comet came {#blank#}5{#/blank#} fashion. With a pressurised cabin, it was able to go higher and faster than other aircraft.

    {#blank#}6{#/blank#}, the plane had square windows and in 1953 two planes fell apart in the air, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (kill) 56 people in total.

    The reason for the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (crash)? The windows.

    {#blank#}9{#/blank#} there's a corner, there's a weak spot. Windows, having four corners, have four potential weak spots, making them likely to crash under stress — such as air pressure.

    By curving the window, the stress that would {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (eventual) crack the window corner is distributed and the likelihood of it breaking is reduced.

    Friendship is very {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(importance). Everyone{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (need) friendship. In all our lives we can't live without friendship just as we can't live{#blank#}3{#/blank#} water. Friendship{#blank#}4{#/blank#} (make) us get on well with one another to go ahead under different {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(kind) of difficulties in front of us. But {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (really) friendship is not easy to come by. True friendship must be sincere and be based on{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (understand) each other but not on benefits of each other. A good friend can always be a good teacher to {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (we). By his advice we are persuaded {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (go) the right way. Therefore,{#blank#}10{#/blank#} more great friends we have, the better we can improve ourselves.

It is widely accepted that optimistic attitudes promote health as well as happiness. The secret of a long life is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (universe) desired and has long been sought. Today we can reveal it: always look on the bright side. A huge research project {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (lead) by scientists at the Boston University School of Medicine concludes that optimists live {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (long).

Lewina Lee, lead author of the study, said, "A lot of evidence {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (suggest) that exceptional longevity(长寿) is widely accompanied by a longer span of good health and living {#blank#}5{#/blank#} disability. Therefore our findings raise an exciting possibility {#blank#}6{#/blank#} we may be able to promote health and happiness by {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (develop) positive attitudes such as optimism."

However, the study doesn't suggest that we should aim for great pleasure. Sadness is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} important part of the human condition. Any normal person sometimes experience disappointment, ambitions and the {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (lose) of loved ones. But for many people, these matters of human existence {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (transform) into an abnormal state of despair. There is a vital place in public health for providing mental treatment in helping to correct these cognitive errors. It is not weakness to be defeated by setbacks. It is merely a mistake.

For much of history, reading was a fairly noisy activity. Today, however, the majority of us bottle the words in our heads as if {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(sit) in a library.

Recent studies provide ample evidence {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the ancient art of reading aloud has a number of benefits, from helping improve our memories {#blank#}3{#/blank#}strengthening emotional bonds between people.

According to a research on the impacts of reading on memory, people consistently remember words and texts {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(well) if reading them aloud than if reading them silently. This phenomenon has been named the "production effect", which means that producing {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(write) words-namely, reading them out loud-improves our memory of them. Even just silently mouthing the words makes {#blank#}6{#/blank#} more memorable.

One reason why people remember the spoken words better is that it gives us {#blank#}7{#/blank#} additional basis for memory. We are {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(general) better at recalling events that require active involvement. For instance, producing a word in {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(respond) to a question makes it easier to remember.

In time when our interactions with others and the large amount of information we take in {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(be) all too transient (转瞬即逝的) , perhaps it is worth making bit more time for reading out loud.